Daylight
by slytherinblooded
Summary: Fate always had a way of bringing them back together, and this time, it took form of two little pink lines on a plastic stick.
1. Chapter 1

Rukia stood at the counter at the residential part of the Kurosaki clinic with a yellow apron tied around her slim waist and a confused looed on her face. She and Ichigo had been married for over two months now, but their home in the human world was currently still being renovated so she and her husband were finishing their approved leave from the Soul Society at Ichigo's childhood home with his family. But the state of the home wasn't what was concerning the blacked-haired female at the moment.

"Ichigo." She muttered, but of course, the tall male was too engrossed in his own activities of watching sports on the television to hear his petite wife. Her irritation spiked.

"Ichigo! Rukia growled, the volume of her voice slightly louder, only to still receive no response. Clenching her jaw, she grabbed a wooden spoon and threw it, striking the back of Ichigo's head with unexplainable power. The male let out a yelp before turning to her, ready to brawl. However, Rukia signaled him to be quiet and come to her, which he reluctantly obeyed.

"Is Karin alright?" Ichigo quirked an eyebrow – why would she ask him that? Or cause a concussion with a wooden kitchen utensil for a question that she could have just asked Karin herself? "I would assume so, why?" He was still rubbing the back of his head and had she not been so distracted, Rukia would have been calling him dramatic. Instead, she continued to look at her sister-in-law who was currently drifting to sleep on the sectional with a blanket cocooned around her.

"Hm…" She paused before looking at her husband, "You haven't noticed the spike in her spiritual pressure?" Of course, her ever-so-observant husband shrugged his shoulders. "It's nothing huge, but remember – she has that big exam the week." His wife nodded, though she wasn't convinced that had an effect because something like an exam wasn't something that could cause such a shift in pressure. However, she pretended to be to keep Ichigo in his own little world of ignorance.

* * *

At exactly 2:13 am, Karin snuck out of her room and into Yuzu's room. She wasn't going to wake her or tell her, because she knew how controlling her twin would be but…Karin also knew without her twin, she wouldn't be able to go through it. To top it off, it would break Yuzu's heart when she discovered Karin had kept it a secret.

Opening the door soundlessly, Karin slipped into her sister's room and gently shook her awake. The pair didn't verbally communicate but Yuzu figured something wasn't right if Karin was waking her up in the middle of the night. Plus, Yuzu wasn't as ignorant as their brother. She had noticed the change in both Karin's behavior and spiritual pressure. It had concerned her, but she had respected her sister's privacy.

The Kurosaki clinic was eerie at night – in the dark, every piece of machinery looked like a monster. Both Kurosaki females remained unbothered. They had seen scarier things.

"Karin, what's going on?" Yuzu looked around her, speaking softly. "…And why are we in the clinic?" Her sister sniffed, not wanting to tell her. No, she couldn't _say_ it. "…You have to promise me that you won't say a thing; not to me, not to Rukia, Ichigo, Dad, Urahara…anyone." The honey-blonde female nodded, swallowing hard due to concern but promising her sister anyway. With a sigh, Karin opened a storage cabinet and pulled out a sealed package.

Yuzu's eyes swelled open in shocked. "Karin, that's a- a-"

"I know!" It hurt Karin to say it so harshly to her sister who just meant well, but she couldn't help it. Karin was angry – not at anyone really…except for herself… and him. Though she knew she was more at fault than he was. She just couldn't help it, it was involuntary. She had been stupid – she had trusted herself to be alone with him at the wedding and not allow herself to succumb to her feelings. All hope was abandoned when she had sipped the last of her wine, though she was doomed from the minute she had entered the same room as him.

* * *

 _"Your drink is gone." He nodded towards the glass that was now empty, aside from the light purple residue on the curved sides._

 _"I hadn't noticed." Karin stated, half-heartedly yet still sarcastically._

 _The male shook his head, silver locks falling from their designated places as he did. "I believe that's your cue to go."_

 _Dark eyes shot in his direction to glare, nose wrinkling ever so slightly. "Don't be so quick to dismiss me, Toushiro." Her look softened, "People may assume you dislike me."_

 _The young captain let out the closest thing he could to a laugh, though it sounded more like a scoff. "Thanks to Rangiku, I don't think there is a single soul in the Soul Society that believes I have any form of disdain towards you."_

 _"I wish the same would be said about the Souls in the human world." Karin grumbled and Hitsugaya's heart dropped. "…What?"_

 _"Nothing." Karin tried to keep herself quiet but failed, as usual. "You're just always so quick to leave when you're here-"_

 _"I'm a busy man!"_

 _"-and you're always so rude when you see me, and I know you're busy but…" She trailed off, looking towards the city skyline, her liquid confidence suddenly draining from her._

 _"Karin," Toushiro's voice was soft and unsure. He wanted to apologize but he couldn't. Being a captain was his job and Karin knew that. Yet, he felt so guilty; she was obviously hurt by him and he wanted to fix it._

 _He pushed himself up from his spot and came closer to the female. He placed his fingers under her chin and lifted her face up towards his. "I'm sorry." It was quiet and weak, but it was genuine._

 _The young female stared up at him with wide eyes. "You mean very much to me…and…" He stopped midsentence and hesitated, "I'm unsure of how to express it. I mask it with a short demeanor. You mesmerize me, Karin Kurosaki." And with that, the captain wet his lips and brought them to hers._

 _Their first kiss was gentle, but not locking in passion. Hitsugaya ran his tongue along her lower lip, enjoying how sweet she tasted. The pink Moscato on her breath had both of their minds swimming. Once he pulled away, Karin felt both embarrassed and comfortable. So, she buried her head in his chest._

 _"When do you leave?"_

 _Karin hated herself for asking and he hated himself for answering._

 _"In the morning."_

 _Karin sighed, though said nothing. She did not want to fight with him. Instead, she was raging an inner war with herself. It was no definite answer of when she would see him again but before he left, Karin wanted to show him just how much she truly loved him._

 _In her alcohol-fogged, sixteen-year-old mind, there was only one way to do that. With one more deep inhale, Karin rose to place her lips on his. Though this kiss was different. She grabbed his hands gently, yet firmly, and placed them on her hips._

 _Eternities later, she lay under him in the dark hotel room. Her bridesmaid dress had been unzipped and lay loosely around her. Her hair had begun to fall from it's updo, and yet, the captain thought she had never looked more beautiful._

 _His suit coat had been pushed off from his shoulders, and his tie hung undone around his throat. Karin had been fiddling with the buttons on his dress shirt, ignoring the heat in her cheeks that flared the more she felt his excitement pushing against her stomach, when he suddenly pulled away in a newly discovered hesitation. "Karin…" He whispered and the way he said her name only made her want him closer to her. "You've been drinking."_

 _In annoyance, the female dropped her hands from his body, much to his displeasure, and folded them over each other. "I'm not drunk." Her voice was firm and Hitsugaya suppressed the smile that threatened to display on his face upon the reappearance of classic Karin._

 _"I didn't say you were."_

 _"Alcohol has no effect on my feelings for you."_

 _They were silent and unmoving for a moment, before he finally spoke. "Are you sure about this?"_

 _And in the dark room, he could see the brightness in her eyes as she nodded her head._

 _"Please."_

* * *

Karin stared at the timer, willing it to tick faster. White teeth were clenched and long nails dug in palms, as if physical harm to her body would cause a different result.

Yuzu attempted to distract her sister, though it understandably failed. So, the two sisters sat alone in the silent Kurosaki clinic counting down the remaining seconds until the result was readable. Finally, Karin's phone buzzed and she jumped and moved like lightning to look at the test strip in the sample cup. As soon as her fingers seized the material, she froze.

While the girl knew wat result was going to be waiting for her on the plastic stick, she didn't want to see it. Seeing it would make it real and Karin wasn't ready to accept it. Her whole life was going to change and…she was terrified.

"Karin," She felt Yuzu's hand on her shoulder, "Do you want me to look for you?" The opposite twin shook her head, taking a deep breath and stepping away from the other female. Squeezing her eyes tightly shut, she removed the test strip and turned it over in her hands. She said nothing, but thrust her hand towards her sister. Yuzu took the test from Karin and turned it over, inhaling sharply. "Oh Karin…"

Karin's eyes snapped open. "I'm…pregnant?" She said it with confusion. And just as she finished speaking, the overhead light turned on to reveal Rukia standing in the doorway.

"So, I was right."

The twins were panicking – so many different things were happening and neither of them could process it all.

Karin was in shock, yet she still heard herself ask: "How did you know?"

Rukia was approaching now, very carefully as if Karin were some skittish deer she did not want to startle. "Your spiritual pressure – I noticed something…extra." All three females are quite for a moment – no one knew what to say or think. Karin could feel Rukia's eyes on her and felt so ashamed. Karin felt like she had let Rukia down; the petite Shinigami had been a motherly figure for her and Yuzu for the last five years. Now, here Karin was…pregnant at sixteen.

"Karin," Rukia's hand clasped on the younger girl's shoulder. "Are you alright?"

It was a simple question, yet it snapped something inside of Karin – reality it her like a bullet train. Whether it was Rukia's tone, the question itself, or just the new sinking in…Karin's entire body began to tremble. Her eyes felt swollen and her throat tight.

"What am I going to do?"

* * *

Weeeeeell, I posted this before but I found the notebook that I had the original chapters in so I decided to repost haha. I obviously don't own Bleach, because the ending would be completely different if I did but…I hope this chapter was enjoyable.

Please read and review!

xoxo


	2. Chapter 2

Karin Kurosaki had lost her mother. She had broken bones and skinned knees. She had her appendix removed and labrum repaired. She had seen her brother killed and resurrected before her eyes. She had been grabbed by nearly every Hallow that had come into Karakura. And yet, pregnancy was her hardest and most painful experience yet. If she were tracking herself on the fad health apps, her accumulated hours of sleep for the week would equal around six and meals digested a solid one. Most of her time was spent lying on the bathroom floor, basking in the cold temperature from the tile floor and swearing Yuzu off. Her sister meant well and Karin felt guilty for shutting her out but the raven-haired female was still trying to cope with the situation herself.

All Karin wanted to do was sleep. Yet, here she sat in the guidance counselor's office of her high school, making the poor wanna-be therapist sweat with her legendary death glare. He was fumbling for his words, attempting to explain why she was here and failing. Her teacher rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Christ, Yoshino, be a man and get it out." The teacher had attempted to mutter it under her breath but failed and Karin rolled her eyes. Inside, however, she was panicking. Had they pieced together her odd behaviors? Did they know? This was not how she had planned for things to go. The insult at the counselor's masculinity seemed to give him the necessary strength to give Karin the explanation she was so desperate for. He tossed some pamphlets down on the desk.

Karin's eye twitched. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Anorexia and bulimia are very serious disorders, Karin. W-we are just concerned, t-th-that's all." If the counselor had been nervous before, he must have been crumbling on the inside. Pitying the man, Karin's teacher spoke up, for she feared the teenager much less than the counselor did. "Karin, I noticed how much you have changed in the past month – you don't eat lunch, you excuse yourself from class just after first bell to throw up. If I'm correct in my assumptions, that would make it roughly half an hour after you've eaten your morning breakfast bar…Most suffering from bulimia don't wait more than twenty minutes to purge." Karin's eyebrow had not stopped twitching and her pale, sickly face was turning red. "I do not have an eating disorder and I am severely offended by your accusations."

This sent the counselor into a further panic. "We can't risk offending our students, Tami! Pull the plug, if she says she doesn't have a disorder then she doesn-" Her teacher cut the man off. "Karin, denial just makes you seem more guilty!" Karin stood up, standing her ground. "My father is a doctor, do you honestly believe he wouldn't notice if I was developing an eating disorder and immediately treat me for it? This is ridiculous and I'm going home."

* * *

Isshin had noticed. Isshin Kurosaki was no fool; he might tend to behave like a child and play dumb, but he was not oblivious to the events occurring in his children's lives. The minute Ichigo began interacting with members of the Soul Society, Isshin knew. He knew Ichigo was not on a vacation with his friends during summer break so long ago. In fact, he asked his existing connections to the Soul Society to keep him updated on Ichigo's progress. Given, that resulted in Isshin biting off more than he could chew and launching his own investigation into Aizen and exposing himself as alive to the Soul Society as whole…but in the end, it had been worth it following Aizen's defeat and Ichigo's happiness.

But when it came to his daughter, he knew everything. Yet, he was living in denial. He heard her awake at four o'clock on the dot, emptying the scare contents of her stomach. He heard his other daughter leave her room and enter the bathroom with water and a blanket for her sister. He heard Karin tell Yuzu thank you but to leave her alone- that she still hadn't decided. Isshin heard it all and yet it wasn't enough to convince him of the truth. He saw the darkened circles under Karin's eyes from exhaustion, and he noticed how she had quit all sports, including her beloved soccer, and spent her free time asleep on any surface she felt comfortable on. He noticed how certain smells sent her retreating to her room for "privacy" and he noticed the numerous trash bags in the bin outside in the mornings. He was a doctor, he knew all the signs but he was also a father and relied on denial.

When the school called him, he found the perfect excuse: an eating disorder. He originally blamed a very strong case of the flu. Upon hearing her father discuss Karin having the flu, Yuzu pretended to have it as well to help her sister's case. It only fueled her father's denial but he knew that a case of the flu didn't last longer than a week without needing hospitalization. Now, the school had provided him with another thing to blame all of Karin's newly-adapted habits on. He cornered her as soon as she walked in the door from school; kneeling at her feet and begging for her forgiveness for not helping her sooner. This irritated Karin more and she left in a fit of rage. She watched her feet as she wandered aimlessly through the streets of Karakura with no particular place to go. Rukia wasn't available, seeing as she and Ichigo had moved permanently to the Soul Society following both of their elections to Captains. Karin couldn't go to Yuzu, she was beginning to feel smothered. Karin just wanted to go somewhere where should control the conversation and not have it be about the fetus or about her imaginary eating disorder. She wanted a friend.

And that's when it hit her for the first time since the wedding; Karin missed Toshiro. Before he was the idiot who knocked her up, he was her friend. They didn't speak much, unless either of them needed to and at the moment, that is what Karin needed. Obviously, if he was here, she wouldn't be able to speak about the pregnancy-related problems she was facing but she could still rant about other things and that would have been enough comfort to her. It still didn't ease her sadness that was rooted in Toshiro's absence. She doubted she would ever see him again, and if she did, it would not be the same as it had before.

During her walk, it had begun to rain. Her irritation reached its day-peak. She looked up into the sky, as if she was still attempting to figure out if it was truly raining or it was just her imagination. Once it clicked for her, she went to kick the puddle in front of her but was surprised to find a concrete step in front of her.

"You'll catch your death out here in this rain." A familiar voice said from inside the building ahead of her. "Though, judging from your current physical state, you wouldn't mind it because you were already attempting to off-yourself in the slowest way possible." Karin scoffed. "So much judgement coming from you, Hat'N'Clogs...It almost hurt my feelings, but then the irony saved me." She offered a smirk, knowing he would take no offense. She followed him inside the shop, only to find both kids, and everyone else, gone. "Did the rain or your terrible personality kill business?" Urahara let out a small chuckle. "You Kurosaki kids are sure rude. There's a Hollow making an appearance on the opposite side of town and they're out dealing with it." Karin's eyes gaped; a Hollow and she hadn't felt it? She placed her hands on her cheeks, her petite fingers covering her eyes in near-horror. "You're really messed up, aren't ya kid?" Urahara closed his fan and lit another lamp, sitting down at the table.

Karin couldn't think of a response, what would she say? She took the tea he handed to her silently, and just nodded her head. "Its no wonder, you reiryoku is all over the place…have you been having any odd dreams?" Karin shook her head and finally found her voice. "I know what you're getting at- its not that."

"How can you be so sure? I didn't realize you were so familiar with the ways of the Soul Society." He sipped his tea, eyebrows raised. Karin didn't react the way he had expected her to, instead her face remained vacant of any emotions and her eyes stared at a particular stain on the wooden table. "I'm sure, because I'm pregnant."

This took the man by surprised, causing him to choke on his drink. That was the last thing he had expected her to say to him; he had heard from Jinta and Ururu that she had seemed to be fighting an eating disorder. When Urahara first saw her earlier, he assumed the same thing. She had been reduced to what he could only describe as a bag of bones; Karin was already a very slender girl but she looked as if she had lost ten pounds that she couldn't afford to. Her eyes had grown dark circles underneath them and almost bugged out of her head. And based on her current attitude, he could tell she had next to no energy. But pregnancy explained this symptoms just as well as an eating disorder did, though both were very unlikely conditions for the Kurosaki female.

"Are you certain?" He felt guilty for asking but it was the first thing out of his mouth. Karin just nodded again. "I see." He set his tea down and repositioned himself so that his leg was bent and his elbow resting on his knee. Silence loomed over the pair for a moment, as Urahara sat processing all the information racing through his mind; he didn't understand why she told him. They had never been enemies but never close enough to share important information like this. Maybe it was just because he was someone available to listen and someone not close enough to her to run and tell people that she was close with. He tried not to pity the girl, but how could he help it? She was sixteen and now being forced to grow up long before her time, if she decided to keep it that is.

"Are you alright?" He finally asked her, offering to get her some water. She just shook her head, she would just throw it up in ten minutes anyways. "I don't know how this happened." Her voice was so monotone, and Urahara had to suppress the scoff that had formed in his throat. "Well, you clearly know the mechanics of-"

"That's not what I meant." Karin snapped back with the most like-her sounding statement she had made in weeks. Urahara was taken back, and he paused for a moment, fumbling for the right words so he didn't offend her more. He didn't have to say anything, though. She finished her thoughts before he could form a coherent sentence. "We didn't think it was even possible…how is it? He's not even…" She trailed off, playing with her shoelace and seeming to forget that Urahara was even there.

"He's not even what?" Her eyes widened, noting that she might have just outed herself. Her lips stated shut and Urahara knew immediately. "It's Toshiro's, isn't it?" This made sense. They pair thought they were secretive about their relationship but anyone who saw the two together – and wasn't in denial – knew there was chemistry and unspoken feelings between the two. Had Urahara had more time to consider the situation, he would have assumed it was Toshiro's…then again, he knew the young captain was very strict on rules and couldn't have broke one to sleep with her. Burying her face in her hands with no response, Urahara took that as a yes.

A sigh escaped his lips; he didn't want to have to make this harder on the girl but alas, he had to. Pregnancies between a Soul Reaper and a human were rare. The relationship between Isshin and Masaki couldn't even be considered one because of her quincy-origin. The pregnancy was going to have to be closely monitored but if the Soul Society were to find out…it could be disastrous.

"Karin," His tone was soft and gentle, willing himself not to scare her with what he was about to say next. "You can't just handle this like normal human babies." He noticed her begin to tremble. Without pulling her face from her hands, she said with a calm voice: "I know." With unspoken guilt combined for the pity he was giving her, he cleared his throat. "I can get ahold of the necessary equipment but I need you to promise me that you will let me treat you accordingly and your father-"

"He doesn't know yet." Silence fell upon them once again. "I-I can't let anyone know yet. I don't think I ever want to tell him…and the Soul Society can't know." A small nod of understanding was his response, until he realized she had not told Isshin.

"You'll have to tell him. I don't have the same medical knowledge he does."

"I will when I'm ready."

"The longer you wait, the more risks you take."

The tension in the room increased with that sentence. Karin felt her ears pop as she swallowed hard. "I know, I'm just not ready." With a sigh of defeat, Urahara threw his hands up as a sign of peace. "Do what you must, but does anyone living in Seireitei know? Anyone you can trust? It would be helpful to know what they know."

"Rukia."

Urahara nodded. "Not the best but better than nothing…You should probably go kid, especially if you don't want him to know. Matsumoto will be here soon." And with that, Urahara's shop was empty…save for a black cat that emerged from behind a shelf.

"That poor girl."

"We mustn't pity her, Yoruichi. She has enough to deal with."

Yellow eyes rolled as the black cat sat, tail slowly swaying behind her. "If the Soul Society gets their hands on her, she's done." Urahara clucked his tongue in response. "Toshiro finally finds someone he can truly love and this is the result."

"Now who's pitying who?"

The atmosphere of the small town was suddenly thick. Heavier than the day Masaki was murdered. Heavier than the day Rukia gave Ichigo her powers and awakened his true fate. Heavier than the day Aizen sought to destroy it. The arrival of a child was meant to be a joyous occasion and yet, all Urahara and Yoruichi could sense was looming destruction. Yoruichi sighed. "I suppose I should head back to the Soul Society and prepare my noble descent for it's milking." The sound of her human voice took Urahara off guard. "Give her a day. We already know that Rukia has been prodding Ichigo to come back. That alone will put them on their toes; Ichigo never leaves for family emergencies." Yoruichi nodded.

"Go get dressed, Masumoto is coming and I don't want any reason for her to think she could be naked. I'm sure her drinking will only increase once her Captain finds out about this."

"Finds out about what? Something to do with Karin?!" Urahara turned to see the large-breasted woman standing in the doorway, eyebrows wagging.

* * *

Okay so, this is kind of horrid but...I'm glad I finally got an update out. My writing styles are all over the place in this but I'm trying my hardest to not start every sentence off with a pronoun but its difficult when you're an action-based writer. Insert eye-roll emoji here. Anyways, I obviously don't own Bleach. Enjoy!


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